General

The Cemetery Soon to be Opened to Families of the Deceased

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The Fabrique announces that Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery will soon be opened to the families of the deceased. The arrival of spring, the evolution of the weather and the melting of the snow will determine when the entire site and the 33 kilometres of roads that run through it will be safe to receive the family members of the deceased. Once these conditions are met, the Cemetery's opening hours will be made public.

March 13, 2022


The Fabrique de la paroisse Notre-Dame de Montréal announces that Notre-Dame-des-Neiges Cemetery will soon be opened to the families of the deceased. The arrival of spring, the evolution of the weather and the melting of the snow will determine when the entire site and the 33 kilometres of roads that run through it will be safe to receive the family members of the deceased. Once these conditions are met, the Cemetery's opening hours will be made public.

 

If weather conditions deteriorate, access to the cemetery may be temporarily restricted again to bereaved families. Priority will continue to be given to those families who take appointments to have a mausoleum burial or cremation service. However, no field burials will be possible as long as the operating employees continue their strike.

 

The Cemetery has been seeking, since the beginning of negotiations with the unions representing its operational and clerical employees, to reach agreements to treat its employees well while ensuring the continuity of the Cemetery for the benefit of the families of the deceased who rest in peace there.

 

A reasonable agreement must be based on the reality that the Fabrique Notre-Dame is a non-profit organization and that 100% of the employees' compensation is paid by the families of the deceased.

 

During 2021, regular operations and maintenance employees received approximately $70,000 per year in salary, to mow grass, clear snow from roads in winter, clean mausoleums, perform burials and cremations, and do other related activities.

 

They also receive up to 11 weeks of paid vacation and vacations per year and up to $14,000 per year in their defined benefit pension plan.

 

This compensation represents $45 per hour and is higher than the wages and benefits paid to many employees in the health, education, and public safety sectors.

 

In January 2023, the Cemetery submitted an offer to increase wages and overall compensation by more than 15% by January 1, 2026. This would represent $52 per hour in salary and benefits for regular maintenance employees, as well as a lump sum at signing.

 

The Cemetery is available to continue to negotiate with representatives of each union to reach an agreement as soon as possible.

The cemetery will be inaccessible on Sunday, September 15, 2024, as the City of Montréal proceeds with street closures for the 13th edition of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. Crossing points will be available for pedestrians only at the main entrances on Côte-des-Neiges and at the corner of Decelles. The City of Montréal will close the streets around the cemetery at 4 a.m. with a gradual reopening at 4 p.m. Please note that the Remembrance entrance will be closed to pedestrians.

 

The Marguerite-D'Youville mausoleum (M8) is temporarily closed until further notice for maintenance and renovations.

 

Our Search for A Loved One feature is temporarily unavailable. We are working to get everything back online as soon as possible. 

 

For the families who are currently waiting for engravings/inscriptions in the following mausoleums: Marguerite Bourgeoys (M4) - La Pietà (M5) - Saint-Pierre et Saint-Paul (M6) ainsi que Sainte-Marguerite-D'Youville (M8); we will be contacting you once we get to your file.

 

Please note that we are experiencing a high volume of calls regarding ash burials. If you have already completed your request for such a burial, we will contact you as soon as we get your file. We apologize for the inconvenience. If your request for an ash burial has not yet been submitted, we urge you to complete the form.

Ash Burial Request Form